Toy vehicle apparatus

ABSTRACT

A toy vehicle capable of being selectively conditioned to have varying operating characteristics, particularly &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;trick&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; type operations. The vehicle has a pair of front wheels and a pair of back wheels, one of the back wheels being fixed axially of and rotatable with the rear axle and driven by motor means, through the axle. The other rear wheel is freely rotatable relative to and slidably mounted on the rear axle and is of a larger diameter than said one rear wheel. The vehicle may be caused to spin about the larger diameter wheel, or travel in a straight or curved path depending upon the axial disposition of the slidably mounted larger diameter wheel. The vehicle is designed with its center of gravity close to the rear axle, and the motor means is mounted on a framework pivoted about the rear axle, so that the motor means may be shifted fore and aft, changing the center of gravity and causing the vehicle to rock about the rear axle. These various motions are programmed by conditioning the various operative components of the vehicle by means of a power conditioning drive ramp and guide track. Interchangeable plates are provided for mounting on the end of the guide track. The plates have upwardly protruding tabs which are operatively engageable with the operative components of the vehicle to condition the vehicle and thereby program its operating characteristics. The drive ramp also includes an oscillating lever and gear linkage for conditioning a winding power source on the vehicle.

United States Terzian et tet [1 1 TOY VEHICLE APPARATUS [75] Inventors:Reuben T. 'llerzian; Marvin ll. Glass,

both of Chicago; lra B. Giltord, Highland Park, all of Ill.

[73] Assignee: Marvin Glass & Associates [22] Filed: Dec. 30, 1971 [21]Appl. No.: 213,866

Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-D. L. WeinholdAttorney-James F. Coffee et al.

57 ABSTRACT A toy vehicle capable of being selectively conditioned tohave varying operating characteristics, particularly trick typeoperations. The vehicle has a pair of front wheels and a pair of backwheels, one of the back wheels being fixed axially of and rotatable withthe rear axle and driven by motor means, through the axle. The otherrear wheel is freely rotatable relative to and slidably mounted on therear axle and is of a larger diameter than said one rear wheel. Thevehicle may be caused to spin about the larger diameter wheel, or travelin a straight or curved path depending upon the axial disposition of theslidably mounted larger diameter wheel. The vehicle is designed with itscenter of gravity close to the rear axle, and the motor means is mountedon a framework pivoted about the rear axle, so that the motor means maybe shifted fore and aft, changing the center of gravity and causing thevehicle to rock about the rear axle. These various motions areprogrammed by conditioning the various operative components of thevehicle by means of a power conditioning drive ramp and guide track.Interchangeable plates are provided for mounting on the end of the guidetrack. The plates have upwardly protruding tabs which are operativelyengageable with the operative components of the vehicle to condition thevehicle and thereby program its operating characteristics. The driveramp also includes an oscillating lever and gear linkage forconditioning a winding power source on the vehicle.

21 Claims, 15 Drawing Figures TOY VEHICLE APPARATUS BACKGROUND ANDSUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a toy vehicle and inparticular to a toy vehicle whose directions of motion or operatingcharacteristics may be varied to perform tricks" or stunts" by aconditioning means operatively associated with operative controlcomponents of the vehicle to effectively program the series ofoperations of the vehicle.

Toy vehicles adapted to perform a predetermined sequence of movements,including forward and reverse motions and various turning or steeringmotions, are generally known. Such toy vehicles usually includesteerable wheels turned in various steering directions by a followercontrolled by a cam-driven in timed relation to the vehicle motor.Normally, the vehicles are capable of only a single pattern of motion.Some attempts have been made to provide interchangeable means capable ofchanging the pattern of motion. However, the patterns of motion normallyinclude only various turning or steering motions. The present inventionis directed, in general, to toy vehicles of the character described andincludes novel means effecting effectin spinning motions, rocking"motions and other stunts or tricks by novel means which is capable ofbeing conditioned or programmed to provide unusual patterns of motion.

In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the toy vehicle includes achassis having a pair of transversely spaced rear wheels mounted forrotation about a transversely extending rear axle, and motor means fordriving the vehicle by rotating one of the rear wheels. The driven wheelis fixed transversely of and for rotation with the rear axle, and theother wheel is freely rotatable relative to and slidably mounted on therear axle. The slidably mounted wheel is of a larger diameter than thedriven wheel whereby the direction of travel of the vehicle varies as afunction of the transverse position of the slidably mounted wheel. Whenthe slidably mounted wheel is disposed close to the center of thevehicle, the vehicle. is caused to spin about the slidably mountedwheel. As the vehicle spins about the slidably mounted wheel,centrifugal force will, in effect, cause the vehicle to move axiallyaway from the slidably mounted wheel which, in effect, moves outwardlyalong the rear axle and causes the vehicle again to resume generallyforward motion. A dummy" wheel is fixed to the rear axle for rotationtherewith, is disposed outside of the slidably mounted wheel, andcomprises a cam means for locking the slidably mounted wheel forrotation with the driven rear axle. More particularly, interengagingsurfaces are provided on the outside of the slidably mounted wheel andthe inside of the dummy wheel to interlock said wheels when the slidablymounted wheel slides outwardly against the dummy wheel. Means areprovided to selec tively hold the slidably mounted wheel away from thedummy wheel and conditioning means are provided on a guide track toactuate said means to effectively program the spinning or forward motionof the vehicle.

The toy vehicle of the present invention is designed with its center ofgravity close to the rear axle, and the motor means is mounted on thechassis for fore and aft movement relative to the rear axle to shift thecenter of gravity of the vehicle sufficiently fore and aft to cause thevehicle to rock or rear up" about the rear axle as the motor means isshifted.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of a guide track alongwhich the toy vehicle may travel. The guide track has upwardlyprotruding conditioning tabs disposed at selected positions along thetrack and operatively associated with control means on the vehicleincluding levers protruding from the underside of the vehicle tocondition the various operating components of the vehicle and therebyeffectively program the operating characteristics or movements of thevehicle. The guide track has an end from which the toy vehicle movesonto a floor or the like and the conditioning means is disposed adjacentthe end of the guide track. Interchangeable end sections for the trackhave the conditioning tabs disposed thereon for varying the sequence orpattern of operating characteristics for the vehicle.

The guide track is part of a power conditioning ramp on which the toyvehicle is positionable for conditioning the vehicles motor means whichis shown herein in the form of a spring motor. A lever member ispivotally mounted on the ramp, and gear type linkage means isoperatively associated with the lever and operatively engageable with agear portion of the winding mechanism for the spring motor to conditionthe motor by cranking the lever which, in turn, winds the motor spring.The engaging gear of the linkage has a substantially larger diameterthan the gear member of the vehicles winding mechanism to provide asubstantial mechanical advantage from the lever to the motors windingmechanism. A ratchet and pawl mechanism is provided in the lever gearlinkage to permit the lever to be oscillated about its pivot axis towind the motor. Means are provided to hold the vehicle in position onthe power ramp to condition the winding mechanism thereof, and means isprovided to selectively release the vehicle and permit the vehicle tomove along the ramp.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom the following detailed description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toyvehicle embodying the concepts of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view similar to that of FIG. 1, but with the toyvehicle rocked about its rear axle in a reared up" position;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section through the housing or body of thevehicle to illustrate the interior operating components thereof;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section taken generally along the line 4-4 of FIG.3;

FIG. 5 is a vertical section taken generally along the line 5-5 of FIG.3;

FIG. 6 is a vertical section taken generally along the line 66 of FIG.3;

FIG. 7 is a vertical section similar to that of FIG. to rock but withthe motor means and framework therefor shifted to the back of thevehicle to cause the vehicle torock about its rear axle to a reared upposition;

FIG. 8 is a vertical section taken generally along the line 88 of FIG.3, with the motor means and framework therefor locked in a forwardposition to maintain the vehicle in a normal running position with allfour wheels on the ground;

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the conditioning controllevers and related components of the toy vehicle of the presentinvention;

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the righthand split wheel" asviewed in FIG. 5;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the locking arm for the spring storagedrum of the motor means;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a modified form of vehicle embodyingthe concepts of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the power conditioning ramp and guidetrack of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a vertical section through the power conditioning ramp ofFIG. 13, with the toy vehicle of FIG. 1 shown positioned thereon, inphantom; and

FIG. 15 is a partial horizontal section through the power conditioningramp showing the interior gear linkage thereof. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OFTHE INVENTION Referring to the drawings in greater detail, the exemplaryembodiment of the toy vehicle of the present invention, generallydesignated 18, includes a chassis having a generally hollow body orhousing 20, a pair of front wheels 22 mounted on a front axle 24journalled in the housing 20, a pair of rear wheels, generallydesignated 26a and 26b, mounted on a rear axle 28, and a constant speedspring powered motor means, generally designated 30.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 4 and 5, the spring powered motor 30 hasa storage drum 32 for a winding power spring 34 and an output drum 36 onwhich the spring 34 is wound to condition the motor for providing anoutput to the rear wheel 26a, through the rear axle 28 as describedbelow. As is apparent from FIG. 4, if the output drum 36 is rotated inthe direction of arrow A, the spring 34 will be wound onto the outputdrum 36 as it is wound off of the storage drum 32, the storage drumrotating in the direction of arrow B. In order to avoid tearing the endof the spring off of the storage drum 32, a pawl arm 38 is biased by aspring 40 into a recess 42 on the periphery of the storage drum 32 toprevent further rotation of the storage drum 40 in the direction ofarrow B after the last turn of the spring is wound off of the storagedrum. The pawl arm 38 and its biasing spring 40 are shown more clearlyin FIG. 11. Before going into the winding mechanism for the springmotor, it should be pointed out that a similar precautionary means,namely a second pawl arm 44 which can seat against a shoulder 46 on theperiphery of the output drum 36, is provided to prevent tearing theopposite end of the spring 34 off of the output drum 36 at the end ofthe power operation of the vehicle.

The spring 34 is wound onto the output drum 36 by means including a gear48 (see FIG. 5) mounted on the inside of the rear wheel 26a, the wheel26a and gear 48 being fixed to the rear axle 28 for rotation therewith.Another gear 50 is fixed to a rectangular shaft 52 which also is fixedto and forms the axis of rotation of the output drum 36. A linkage gear54 is mounted on the rear axle 28 and is in mesh with the output drumgear 50. Thus, it will be apparent that rotation of the rear wheel gear48 is transferred through the rear axle 28 to the linkage gear 54 and,thus, to the output drum gear 50. Rotation of the output drum gear 50 inthe direction of arrow C (FIG. 4) winds the spring 34 onto the outputdrum 36 and off of the storage drum 32.

A slip clutch, generally designated 56 in FIG. 5, is providedoperatively between the rear axle 28 and the linkage gear 54 for thewinding mechanism for the motor. The slip clutch includes a pair ofwasher-like abutment members 58 and 60 fixed to the rear axle 28 andwhich define a pair of spaced, facing abutment surfaces on the rearaxle. The linkage gear 54 is disposed between the abutment washers 58and 60 (i.e., the facing abutment surfaces defined thereby) and isfreely rotatable relative to the rear axle 28. A coil spring 62surrounds the rear axle 28 in the area between the abutment washers 58and 60, with one end of the coil spring bearing against the abutmentwasher member 58 and the other end of the coil spring forcing thelinkage gear 54 against the other abutment washer member 60 intofriction driving engagement therewith. The friction between the linkagegear 54 and the abutment washer member 60 and spring 62 thereforedefines the torque limit of the clutch. The slip clutch is provided toprevent damage to the operating components of the vehicle that might becaused by the abrupt stoppage of the unwinding motion of the spring 34as the pawl arm 44 comes into engagement with the shoulder 46 on theoutput drum 36. In the event that the rear wheels 26a and 26b of thevehicle would be constructed with relatively substantial masses,substantial stresses and strains could be created on the vehiclesoperating components due to any abrupt stoppage of the unwinding motionof the spring 34.

The device of the present invention has means to effectively shift thecenter of gravity of the vehicle sufficiently fore and aft of the rearaxle 28 to cause the vehicle to rock about the rear axle as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2 and in FIGS. 6 and 7, to simulate the rearing up of actualdrag type racers which are quite popular at the present time. Moreparticularly, the spring type motor means 30 described above, includingthe storage drum 32, output drum 36, spring 34, gear 50 and pawl arms 38and 44 all are mounted on a framework which includes a pair of spacedplate members 64a and 64b held in spaced relationship by a pair ofbraces 66a and 66b. The pawl arm 38 and biasing spring 40 are mounted onthe rear brace 66b. The plates 64a, 64b are generally triangularlyshaped and are pivotally mounted to the vehicles rear axle 28. Thus, themotor means 30 may be shifted fore and aft relative to the vehiclesimply by pivoting the motor means and its supporting plates 64a, 64bback and forth in the direction of arrows D (FIG. 4).

Of course, it is to be understood that the vehicle is designed so thatas much weight as possible is located in the area of the rear axle 28 sothat the shifting of the motor means and its supporting framework iscapable of shifting the center of gravity of the vehicle sufficiently tocause the vehicle to rock about the rear axle 28. It also should bepointed out that in the embodiment of the invention shown herein, themotor means and its supporting framework is so designed relative to therear axle 28 that the motor means normally is disposed in a rearposition under its own weight (See FIG. 7) to cause the vehicle to rearup as shown in FIGS. 2 and 7. When in its reared up" position thevehicle is stabilized by means ofa supporting wheel 67 at the rear ofthe vehicle which rotates and thereby reduces friction when the vehiclemoves while in the reared up position.

Referring to FIG. 8, means are provided to hold the motor means 30 andthe supporting plates 64a, 64b in a forward direction, with the centerof gravity of the vehicle shifted forwardly of the rear axle 28 tomaintain all four wheels of the vehicle on the ground. Moreparticularly, a locking, conditioning control lever 68 is provided andhas a shoulder portion 68a which seats under a pin 78 fixed to the motormeans support plate 64a to prevent the motor means from shifting back tothe rear of the vehicle and thereby shifting the center of gravity ofthe vehicle behind the rear axle 28. A supporting spring arm 72 isdisposed within the vehicle, on the bottom wall of the body 28, forsupporting the motor means and its mounting framework while in theirforward position as shown in FIG. 8. The spring arm 72 also createsbiasing pressure to maintain pin 70 locked behind shoulder 68a. Forpurposes to be described in greater detail hereinafter, a tab portion68b of the locking, conditioning control lever 68 is exposed on theunderside of the vehicle so that selective engagement therewith wouldeffectively lock the motor in its forward position or release the motorso that it will shift to its normal rearward position.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, means is provided to intermittently shiftthe motor means and framework back and forth relative to the rear axle28 automatically in response to operation of the motor means 30, i.e.,unwinding of the spring 34 off of the output drum 36. More particularly,a cam member 74 is fixed to the shaft 52 of the output drum 36 forrotation therewith. A conditioning abutment member 76, having anabutment surface 76a, is pivotally mounted by means of a pin 78 insideof the sidewall of the vehicle body 20. The conditioning abutment member76 is shown in phantom in an inoperative position in FIG. 6. However, bypivoting the abutment member 76 from the position shown in phantom inFIG. 6 to the position shown in full lines in FIGS. 6 and 7 the abutmentsurface 760 will be brought into the path of rotation of the cam member74. As the cam member 74 is rotated by the unwinding of spring 34, fromthe position shown in FIG. 7 to the position shown in FIG. 6, the cammember will ride along the abutment surface 76a and bias or push themotor means 30 and its supporting framework forwardly in the directionof arrow E (FIG. 6) to cause the front of the vehicle to drop down tothe position shown in FIG. 6. As the cam member 74 rides off of thefront of the abutment surface 76a, the motor again will shift to therear of the rear axle 28 due to the momentum of the spring motor andthen under gravity due to the weight of the motor, and again cause thevehicle to rear up as shown in FIG. 7. Thus, should the abutment member76 beconditioned to the position shown in full lines in FIGS. 6 and 7,the vehicle will be caused to intermittently rear up and then fall backdown to its position of FIG. 6 during the operation of the motor means,i.e., the unwinding of the spring 34. As with the conditioning lockingmember 68, the abutment member 76 has a tab portion 76b which may beexposed on the underside of the vehicle for selective conditioning ofthe abutment member 76. Of course, the control lever 68 must not belocking the motor forward in order to permit such rocking motion.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 3 and, 5, the righthand rear wheel 26ais fixed to the rear axle 28 for rotation therewith and is driven by thespring motor means 30. In addition, the rear wheel 26a is fixed axiallyof the rear axle 28 in its position shown best in FIG. 5. Rear wheel 26ahas a body portion 26a which is covered by a tread material 26a". Theleft-hand rear wheel 26b is a split wheel and includes an inneroperating wheel portion 88 covered by a tread portion 88a. The inneroperating wheel portion is slidably mounted on the rear axle 28 and isfreely rotatable relative thereto. The split wheel 26b further includesan outer dummy wheel portion 82 which includes a body portion 82acovered by a tread material 82b. It should be pointed out that the inneroperating wheel portion 80 is of a larger diameter than either the wheel26a or the dummy wheel portion 82. With the inner operating wheelportion 88 slidably mounted on the rear shaft 28 and freely rotatablerelative thereto, various operating characteristics of the vehicle areafforded as a function of the transverse position of the operating wheelportion 88 axially along the rear axle 28. More particularly, if theoperating wheel portion 88 is positioned axially sufficiently toward thecenter of the vehicle, in the direction of arrow F (FIG. 5), the vehiclewill effectively pivot or spin about the operating wheel portion 80, asthe opposite wheel 26a is driven by the spring motor. This is especiallytrue when the vehicle is in its reared up position as shown in FIGS. 2and 7. To facilitate the spinning action, the tread 80a of the operatingwheel portion 80 is chamfered, as seen in FIGS. 3 and 5, to present acircular edge which' reduces friction and thereby enhances the spinningaction. Should the operating wheel portion 80 be positioned outwardlyalong the shaft 28, opposite the direction of arrow F (FIG. 5), becauseof its larger diameter, the vehicle will move forwardly and be made toturn slightly to the right as viewed in FIG. 3. The operating wheelportion 80 is shown in its innermost position in FIG. 5.

As stated above, the outer dummy wheel portion 82 is fixed to the rearaxle 28 for rotation therewith and is of a smaller diameter than theinner operating wheel portion 80. In other words, the outer dummy wheelportion 82 never engages the ground. However, it acts as a cam memberand when coupled with the inner operating wheel portion 80 the vehicleis caused to travel in a substantially straight path, although slightlycurved due to the larger diameter of wheel 80. FIGS. 5 and 10 show anannular rib portion 820, having a slot 82d, on the inside of the outerdummy wheel portion 82. The slot 82d is adapted to receive a straightrib portion 80b on the inner wheel portion 80 to provide interengagingsurfaces to couple the split wheel portions together, as describedabove. As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 9, a locking, conditioning arm member84 is pivoted to the outside of the vehicle body 20 and has a lipportion 84a which is capable of seating on the outside of a ring 86fixed to the inner operating wheel portion 80. As viewed in FIG. 3, withthe lip portion 84a disposed along the outside of the ring 86, the inneroperating wheel portion 80 is locked in its inner position so that thevehicle will continuously pivot or spin thereabout. As with members 68and 76, the. locking conditioning arm member 84 has a tab portion 84bcapable of being exposed on the underside of the vehicle for selectiveconditioning, as described in greater detail hereinafter.

With the inner operating wheel portion 88 unlocked so that it is free tomove axially relative to the rear drive shaft 28, the vehicle,particularly in its reared up position as shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, hasunique operating characteristics. Since the slidably mounted wheelportion 80 is of a larger diameter than the opposite wheel 26a, it has atendency to cause the vehicle to curve to the right, as described above.As the vehicle travels in such a curved path, the center of the vehicletends to move axially toward the slidably mounted wheel 80. However,when the slidable wheel reaches a particular inner limit, depending onthe weight distribution of the vehicle, the vehicle will spin about thewheel 80. The spinning action of the vehicle creates centrifugal forcewhich pulls the vehicle outwardly away from the slidably mounted wheelportion and, in effect, moves the wheel portion outwardly intointerengagement with the dummy wheel 82. The vehicle then will beginforward motion until the axially movable wheel portion 80 again ispositioned inwardly of the rear axle and again causes the vehicle tospin. This repetitive motion is continued unless the axially movablewheel portion is locked in a particular position.

With the above described mechanisms, it is apparent that variousoperating characteristics of the vehicle can effectively be programmedby conditioning the members 68, 76 and 84. More particularly, theaxially slidable wheel portion 80 may be locked in its spinningcondition and the motor means may be caused to oscillate back and forthby operatively positioning the member 76 so that the vehicle will rockup and down as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 while continuously spinning. Inaddition, by unlocking the axially slidable wheel portion 80 and againcausing the motor to oscillate fore and aft, the vehicle will be made toalternately spin and travel straight while at the same time alternatelyrocking up and down.

As seen in FIG. 4, a leaf spring 130 may be provided within the body 120of the vehicle for engagement with the linkage gear 54 to provide anoise making mechanism responsive to rotation of the output drum 36.

FIGS. 13 through 15 show a power conditioning ramp and guide track foruse in combination with the toy vehicle of the present invention;namely, for winding the motor means 30 and for conditioning the variousoperating components of the vehicle described above. The ramp includes agenerally hollow base portion, generally designated 90, which has anupper inclined ramp surface 92 on which the toy vehicle is positionable.A lever member 94, having a handle portion 94a, is pivotally mounted onthe base portion 90 by means of a shaft member 96 journalled in asidewall 90a of the base portion and a support plate 98 (FIG. 15)disposed within the housing. A gear train or linkage, generallydesignated 100, is operatively associated with the lever member 94 andincludes a gear 102 operatively engageable with the gear 48 mounted onthe wheel 26a of the toy vehicle in order to condition the motor means30 by winding the spring 34 in response to cranking the lever member 94.More particularly, a gear 104 is mounted for rotation in the directionof arrow G (FIG. 14) in response to the lever member 94 being cranked inthe direction of arrow l-I. Gear 104 meshes with a smaller gear 106which is coupled for rotation with the larger gear 102. The gear 102, inturn, is larger in diameter than the toy vehicle gear 48. It is apparentthat by using these two pairs of step down" gears in the train 100thereof, a substantial mechanical advantage is obtained from the pivotedlever 94 to the winding mechanism of the motor means. A ratchet and pawlmechanism, generally designated 108, is operatively associated with thelever gear 104 and a similar ratchet and pawl mechanism, generallydesignated 110, is associated with the gears 102 and 106 so that thespring motor means 40 may be wound by pivotally oscillating the levermember 94, without unwinding the spring on the backstroke" of the lever.

A hold-down arm 112 is rigidly secured by means of a support brace 112ato the base of the power conditioning ramp. The hold-down arm extendsthrough a slot 114, as seen in FIG. 8, in the rear of the vehicle body20. The arm bears against the bottom of the slot 114 to hold the vehiclein position with the vehicle winding gear 48 meshed with the powerconditioning ramp gear 102.

A latch arm 116 is pivoted by a pin 118 to the base portion 90 pf thepower conditioning ramp and has a latching lip 116a which terminatesrearwardly in a latching shoulder l16b. The latching lip 116a extendsupwardly through a slot 118 (see FIGS. 5 and 8) on the underside of thevehicle body 20 and the latching shoulder 116b abuts against the rearedge of the slot 118 to hold the toy vehicle in the proper powerconditioning position shown in phantom in FIG. 14. After the motor 30 iswound by cranking the lever member 94, the toy vehicle may be releasedfor movement down the inclined top surface 92 of the power conditioningramp simply by pressing down on the end ll6c of the latch arm 116, inthe direction of arrow I (FIG. 14).

A guide track, generally designated 120 (FIG. 13), is provided andextends away from the front end of the power conditioning ramp. Thetrack has a lip 121 along its rear edge which seats in a slot 121a atthe front of the ramp. The guide track 120, as well as the upper rampsurface 92, have guiding ribs 120a and 122, respectively, which extendupwardly between a pair of downwardly extending ribs 124 on theunderside of the vehicle, as best seen in FIGS. 4 and S. Thecomplementary ribs 124 on the vehicle and 120a and 122 on the guidetrack 120 and ramp surface 92, respectively, guide the vehicle in itsmovement down the ramp and along the track.

As best seen in FIG. 13, the power conditioning ramp has three abutmentshoulders 124a, 124b and l24c generally at the rear thereof. These threeabutment shoulders are adapted to engage the tab portions 84b, 68b and76b, respectively, of the conditioning members 84, 68 and 76,respectively, described above. The abutment shoulders 124a, l24b and124e, force the tab portions forwardly as the vehicle is forcedrearwardly toward its power conditioning position, in the direction ofarrow 1 (FIG. 14). It will be understood that by forcing the tab portion68b forward in the direction of arrow K (FIG. 8) the conditioning member68 will lock the motor means 40 and its related framework in a forwardposition, as shown in FIG. 8, to prevent the toy vehicle from rearing upas it travels down the ramp and guide track, thereby stabilizing thevehicle. It will be understood that by forcing the tab portion 84bforwardly by means of the shoulder 124k on the power conditioning ramp,the axially slidable wheel portion 80 will not be locked in its innerposition to effect spinning of the vehicle. It also will be understoodthat by forcing the tab portion 76b forwardly in the direction of arrowL (FIG. 7) by means of the shoulder 1240 on the power conditioning ramp,the abutment member 76 will be moved out of the path of movement of therotating cam member 74, again to prevent the vehicle from rocking orrearing up as it moves down the ramp and guide track.

In order to selectively program the operating characteristics of the toyvehicle after it leaves the guide track 120, interchangeable endsections 120a are provided with one, two or three upwardly protrudingtabs 126a, 12611 and 126C. These tabs 126a, 1261) and 1266 arepositioned in the path of movement of the downwardly depending tabportions 84b, 68b and 76b, respectively, of the conditioning members 84,68 and 76, respectively. More particularly, if a tab l26a is disposed onthe track end section 120a for engagement with the tab portion 84b ofthe conditioning member 84, the axially slidable wheel portion 80 willbe locked in a spinning condition. If a tab l26b on the track endsection 1200 is disposed in the path of movement of the downwardlydepending tab portion 68b of the conditioning member 68, theconditioning member will release the motor means from the forwardposition shown in FIG. 8 and the motor means will shift rearwardly andcause the front end of the toy vehicle to rear up. Similarly, ifa tab126C is disposed on the track end section 120a in the path of movementof the downwardly depending tab portion 76b'of the conditioning member76 the conditioning member 76 will be pivoted to the position shown inFlGS. 6 and 7 and effectively cause the vehicle to rock back and forthabout the rear axle 28. Thus, it will be apparent that by providing aplurality of different interchangeable track end sections 120a havingdifferent combinations of the upwardly protruding tabs 126a, l26b and11260, the operating characteristics of the vehicle, as described indetail above, can be controlled or selectively programmed simply bychanging the track end sections.

. FIG. 12 shows a modified toy vehicle, generally designated 130,embodying the concepts of the present invention", in the form of amotorcycle, or the like.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness ofunderstanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understoodtherefrom as some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in theart.

We claim:

l. A toy vehicle which includes a chassis having a pair of transverselyspaced wheels mounted for rotation about transversely extending axes,and motor means for driving said vehicle by rotating at least one ofsaid wheels, the improvement comprising: means fixing one of said wheelstransversely relative to its axis of rotation, and means slidably'mounting the other of said wheels relative to its transverse axis ofrotation so that the direction of travel of the vehicle may vary as afunction of the transverse position of said other wheel.

2. The toy vehicle of claim 1 wherein said other wheel has a largerdiameter than said one wheel.

3. The toy vehicle of claim ll wherein said one wheel is power rotatedby said motor means and said other wheel is freely rotatable about itsrespective axis of rotation independently of the motor means.

4. The toy vehicle of claim 3 wherein said means slidably mounting saidother wheel permits said other wheel to be positioned inwardly towardthe center of said vehicle sufficiently to effectively cause the vehicleto pivot about said other wheel.

5. The toy vehicle of claim 4 wherein said other wheel has meansdefining an outer annular surface which is chamfered to present acircular edge to facilitate said pivoting action.

6. The toy vehicle of claim 4 including cam means fixed axially of andfor rotation with said shaft and said other wheel being movable axiallyof and freely rotatable relative to the shaft, and including meansdefining interengaging surfaces between said other wheel and said cammeans to interlock said other wheel for rotation with the shaft whensaid other wheel is positioned outwardly against the cam means.

7. The toy vehicle of claim 6 including retaining means to selectivelyhold said other wheel away from said cam means in said pivotingposition.

8. The toy vehicle of claim 7 including, in combination, means defininga drive ramp for said vehicle, said drive ramp including means toactuate said retaining means as the vehicle travels along the driveramp.

9. A toy vehicle which includes a chassis having a body, a pair oftransversely spaced wheels mounted for rotation about a transverselyextending axis, and motor means on said body for driving said vehicle byrotating at least one of said wheels, the improvement comprising meanson said chassis providing for the shifting of said motor means fore andaft relative to said axis, the weight of said motor means beingsufficiently large relative to the remainder of said vehicle to shiftthe center of gravity of the vehicle sufficiently fore and aft relativeto said axis and thereby cause the vehicle body to rock about said axisas the motor is shifted.

110. The toy vehicle of claim 9 including means to hold said motor meansin a fixed position relative to said axis to prevent the vehicle fromrocking about the axis.

11. The toy vehicle of claim 9 including means for automaticallyshifting said motor means fore and aft relative to said axis as thevehicle is driven.

12. The toy vehicle of claim 11 wherein said automatic shifting means isoperatively associated with said motor means and includes means tointermittently rock the motor means fore and aft relative to said axisas the motor means drives the vehicle.

13. The toy vehicle of claim 12 wherein said motor means is mounted on aframework which, in turn, is pivotally mounted on said chassis, themotor means including a rotatable shaft journalled on said framework andspaced from the pivot axis thereof, a cam member fixed to said motorshaft for rotation therewith, and an abutment member on said chassisintermittently engageable by said cam member to effectively cause saidframework and the motor means thereon to oscillate fore and aft aboutsaid pivot axis.

14. The toy vehicle of claim 13 including means for selectively movingsaid abutment member out of the path of said cam member to preventengagement thereby.

15. The toy vehicle of claim 9 wherein said motor means is mounted on aframework which, in turn, is mounted on said chassis for pivotalmovement about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of said wheelsso that the motor means may be shifted fore and aft by pivoting saidframework.

116. The toy vehicle of claim 15 wherein the pivot axis of saidframework is concentric with the axis of rotation of said wheels.

17. The toy vehicle of claim 16 wherein said frame work and the motormeans mounted thereon normally is maintained on one side of said pivotaxis under the force of gravity, and said means providing for theshifting of said motor means includes means to hold the framework andthe motor means substantially on the opposite side of said pivot axis.

18. The toy vehicle of claim 17 wherein said means to hold the frameworkon the opposite side of said pivot axis is releasable, and including, incombination, means defining a driver ramp for said vehicle, said driveramp including means to release said holding means as the vehicletravels along the ramp.

19. A toy vehicle which includes a chassis having a pair of transverselyspaced wheels mounted for rotation about a transversely extending axis,motor means for driving said vehicle by rotating at least one of saidwheels, the improvement comprising means on said chassis providing forthe shifting of the center ofgravity of the vehicle sufficiently foreand aft relative to said axis to cause the vehicle to rock about theaxis.

20. A toy vehicle, comprising: a chassis having at least one wheel fixedto a drive shaft for rotation therewith, motor means for driving saidvehicle by rotating said wheel, said motor means being of the springmotor type wherein the motor is capable of coming to an abrupt stop whenthe spring runs out, a gear train between said spring motor and saiddrive shaft, and a slip clutch operatively associated with one of thegears in said train thereof to permit said drive shaft and the wheelfixed thereto to wind down" after the spring motor stops.

21. The toy vehicle of claim 20 wherein said drive shaft has meansdefining a pair of spaced, facing abutment surfaces, said one gear insaid train thereof is freely rotatably and slidably mounted on saiddrive shaft between said abutment surfaces, and said slip clutchcomprises a coil spring surrounding said drive shaft in the area betweensaid abutment surfaces, one end of the coil spring bearing against oneof said abutment surfaces and the other end of the coil spring forcingsaid one gear into friction driving engagement with the other abutmentsurface, said friction defining the torque limit of the clutch.

1. A toy vehicle which includes a chassis having a pair of transverselyspaced wheels mounted for rotation about transversely extending axes,and motor means for driving said vehicle by rotating at least one ofsaid wheels, the improvement comprising: means fixing one of said wheelstransversely relative to its axis of rotation, and means slidablymounting the other of said wheels relative to its transverse axis ofrotation so that the direction of travel of the vehicle may vary as afunction of the transverse position of said other wheel.
 2. The toyvehicle of claim 1 wherein said other wheel has a larger diameter thansaid one wheel.
 3. The toy vehicle of claim 1 wherein said one wheel ispower rotated by said motor means and said other wheel is freelyrotatable about its respective axis of rotation independently of themotor means.
 4. The toy vehicle of claim 3 wherein said means slidablymounting said other wheel permits said other wheel to be positionedinwardly toward the center of said vehicle sufficiently to effectivelycause the vehicle to pivot about said other wheel.
 5. The toy vehicle ofclaim 4 wherein said other wheel has means defining an outer annularsurface which is chamfered to present a circular edge to facilitate saidpivoting action.
 6. The toy vehicle of claim 4 including cam means fixedaxially of and for rotation with said shaft and said other wheel beingmovable axially of and freely rotatable relative to the shaft, andincluding means defining interengaging surfaces between said other wheeland said cam means to interlock said other wheel for rotation with theshaft when said other wheel is positioned outwardly against the cammeans.
 7. The toy vehicle of claim 6 including retaining means toselectively hold said other wheel away from said cam means in saidpivoting position.
 8. The toy vehicle of claim 7 including, incombination, means defining a drive ramp for said vehicle, said driveramp including means to actuate said retaining means as the vehicletravels along the drive ramp.
 9. A toy vehicle which includes a chassishaving a body, a pair of transversely spaced wheels mounted for rotationabout a transversely extending axis, and motor means on said body fordriving said vehicle by rotating at least one of said wheels, theimprovement comprising means on said chassis providing for the shiftingof said motor means fore and aft relative to said axis, the weight ofsaid motor means being sufficiently large relative to the remainder ofsaid vehicle to shift the center of gravity of the vehicle sufficientlyfore and aft relative to said axis and thereby cause the vehicle body torock about said axis as the motor is shifted.
 10. The toy vehicle ofclaim 9 including means to hold said motor means in a fixed positionrelative to said axis to prevent the vehicle from rocking about theaxis.
 11. The toy vehicle of claim 9 including means for automaticallyshifting said motor means fore and aft relative to said axis as thevehicle is driven.
 12. The toy vehicle of claim 11 wherein saidautomatic shifting means is operatively associated with said motor meansand includes means to intermittently rock the motor means fore and aftrelative to said axis as the motor means drives the vehicle.
 13. The toyvehicle of claim 12 wherein said motor means is mounted on a frameworkwhich, in turn, is pivotally mounted on said chassis, the moTor meansincluding a rotatable shaft journalled on said framework and spaced fromthe pivot axis thereof, a cam member fixed to said motor shaft forrotation therewith, and an abutment member on said chassisintermittently engageable by said cam member to effectively cause saidframework and the motor means thereon to oscillate fore and aft aboutsaid pivot axis.
 14. The toy vehicle of claim 13 including means forselectively moving said abutment member out of the path of said cammember to prevent engagement thereby.
 15. The toy vehicle of claim 9wherein said motor means is mounted on a framework which, in turn, ismounted on said chassis for pivotal movement about an axis parallel tothe axis of rotation of said wheels so that the motor means may beshifted fore and aft by pivoting said framework.
 16. The toy vehicle ofclaim 15 wherein the pivot axis of said framework is concentric with theaxis of rotation of said wheels.
 17. The toy vehicle of claim 16 whereinsaid framework and the motor means mounted thereon normally ismaintained on one side of said pivot axis under the force of gravity,and said means providing for the shifting of said motor means includesmeans to hold the framework and the motor means substantially on theopposite side of said pivot axis.
 18. The toy vehicle of claim 17wherein said means to hold the framework on the opposite side of saidpivot axis is releasable, and including, in combination, means defininga driver ramp for said vehicle, said drive ramp including means torelease said holding means as the vehicle travels along the ramp.
 19. Atoy vehicle which includes a chassis having a pair of transverselyspaced wheels mounted for rotation about a transversely extending axis,motor means for driving said vehicle by rotating at least one of saidwheels, the improvement comprising means on said chassis providing forthe shifting of the center of gravity of the vehicle sufficiently foreand aft relative to said axis to cause the vehicle to rock about theaxis.
 20. A toy vehicle, comprising: a chassis having at least one wheelfixed to a drive shaft for rotation therewith, motor means for drivingsaid vehicle by rotating said wheel, said motor means being of thespring motor type wherein the motor is capable of coming to an abruptstop when the spring runs out, a gear train between said spring motorand said drive shaft, and a slip clutch operatively associated with oneof the gears in said train thereof to permit said drive shaft and thewheel fixed thereto to ''''wind down'''' after the spring motor stops.21. The toy vehicle of claim 20 wherein said drive shaft has meansdefining a pair of spaced, facing abutment surfaces, said one gear insaid train thereof is freely rotatably and slidably mounted on saiddrive shaft between said abutment surfaces, and said slip clutchcomprises a coil spring surrounding said drive shaft in the area betweensaid abutment surfaces, one end of the coil spring bearing against oneof said abutment surfaces and the other end of the coil spring forcingsaid one gear into friction driving engagement with the other abutmentsurface, said friction defining the torque limit of the clutch.